Many of the country’s roads and bridges are dangerously in need of repair, but it’s not clear how that will happen.
Congress approved a short-term extension of the Highway Trust Fund this week, but at the same time, communities are facing budget shortfalls that affect their ability to maintain local transportation routes.
Years of cutbacks in transportation funding have left states like Oregon searching for alternative ways to pay for new highways and earthquake-safe bridges.
Oregon’s location within the seismically active Cascadia Subduction Zone makes earthquake preparedness a major concern for state officials, but the state has no money for upgrading the older bridges that could collapse.
In the past, the federal government covered about 90 percent of costs for construction projects while Oregon’s state government contributed about 10 percent, according to Tom Fuller, communications manager for the Oregon Department of Transportation. Now the state is creating new tolls for using roadways or selling bonds, Fuller said.
City officials say that Portland can only perform preventative maintenance on 100 miles of its nearly 5,000 miles of roadways.
While scaling back road projects, Portland has been successful in expanding multimodal transportation, such as bridges used exclusively for public transit, bike and pedestrian traffic. Many cities around the country hope to make similar progress in that area.
Warm up questions
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What happens to roads and bridges as time passes?
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Who is responsible for fixing roads and bridges in your area?
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How is maintenance paid for?
Critical thinking questions
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What kinds of safety and traffic concerns result from delayed maintenance and upgrades to roads and bridges?
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In the event of a major earthquake, why are bridges a primary concern?
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What should be done to prioritize needed upgrades like seismic safety?
